Pirates Predicted to Sign All-Star Slugger
The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be an intriguing team to watch during the MLB offseason. Usually, the franchise doesn't spend a lot of money, but they could consider slightly altering that path this year.
Last season, the Pirates showed signs of being close to be a playoff caliber team. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep up that level of play and fell off as the season moved forward.
During the offseason, they have a chance to fix the issues that made them struggle in the latter stage of the 2024 campaign.
One of the biggest issues was a lack of offensive consistency. Pittsburgh needs more run scoring and there are a few free agency options that could help give them that.
A potential option to keep an eye on could be Arizona Diamondbacks free agent first baseman Christian Walker.
Walker is expected to be a very popular player in free agency. Quite a few teams around the league need more bats and some also need upgrades at first basel. However, the Pirates might very well be a front-runner to land him.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has made a major prediction when it comes to Walker. He has projected that the veteran slugger will end up signing with Pittsburgh on a three-year contract worth $63 million.
"The Pirates just finished a season in which either Rowdy Tellez (105 games) or Connor Joe (49) started at first base for more than 95 percent of their games. At best, it was replacement-level production on both offense and defense, and it's one of the biggest reasons they weren't any better in 2024 than they were in 2023 despite adding NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. Signing the three-time reigning Gold Glove native of Pennsylvania could be a game-changer for a team trying to end a nine-year postseason drought."
In the 2024 MLB season, Walker ended up playing in 130 games. He hit 26 home runs to go along with 84 RBI, while slashing .251/.335/.468. Those numbers are exactly what the Pirates need to find.
It's far from a sure thing that Pittsburgh will land him, but they have a legitimate chance if they choose to pursue him aggressively.
All of that being said, fans should not hold their breath for the Pirates to spend big money on a free agent. But, Walker looks like a perfect fit and could end up being the guy that Pittsburgh decides to go all-out to get.
